Stand By Me
by strums of silence
Summary: No one would have ever guessed that the introverted girl and the healing boy would come to be. Yet, they know that they've never been happier in their lives. And they know that no matter what happens, they'll always stand strong together. AU


"_When you are in love you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams."_

-Dr. Seuss~

* * *

><p><strong>Stand By Me<strong>

[A One-Shot]

* * *

><p><strong>grace <strong>·/grās/  
>noun<p>

_**1.**__ elegance or beauty of form, manner, motion, or action  
><em>

* * *

><p>She's supposed to be the Goth girl with her spiky black hair and violent ways. Plus, she's the daughter of Zeus. Anyone who defies her will be brought down to their knees.<p>

Well, that's what _they_ think, anyways.

But only he knows who she is truly like.

Her hair isn't a fashion sense or a sense of depression. It's a form of defiance. She used to have beautiful shoulder-length golden hair that turned heads when she walked by. But she gets sick of looking like a doll; she gets tired of being feared because of her beauty like the shallow Aphrodite children. So she dies it black — her mother's least favorite color. She cuts it short, snipping the hair away. And, to complete her new confident girl look, she spikes it.

Her mother is horrified.

Even so, though, after all that work, she does it for nothing. In the end, she fails to hide her beauty — inside and out — from him.

In all honesty, she won't even hurt a fly, let alone a person. She is in fact a joyous person. When she walks, it's with elegance. It's with _grace_.

And being with her so long, he knows what she truly is.

She is beautiful.

* * *

><p><strong>sol·ace <strong>·/ˈsälis/  
>noun<p>

_**1.**__comfort or consolation in a time of distress or sadness_

* * *

><p>He's supposed to be the flirt with his sun-kissed hair and ocean blue eyes. Nothing strange, though, seeing as he is the son of Apollo.<p>

He looks just like his siblings, so everyone assumes he is just like them.

Only she knows the truth.

He is not an athletic machine like everyone expects him to be. After all, Apollo cabin _is_ the star of the basketball court at camp. He is not a womanizer like his siblings are. He doesn't even understand the opposite gender yet.

She knows that he is none of the things his siblings are.

He is kind and gentle—maybe that's why he's your go-to-guy for medical emergencies. He doesn't flirt with the girls he heals and he doesn't mock the boys he heals. He is always caring, knowing exactly when his patients need rest, and leaves them alone. Sometimes he even searches camp for his patient's friends so they don't feel sad and alone.

He is compassionate. He gives _solace_ to those who long for it.

After all this time, she knows what he truly is.

He is genuine.

* * *

><p><strong>i. <strong>_Without a soul, my spirit sleeping somewhere cold, until you find it there and lead it back home._

* * *

><p>He is just another too-bright-to-look-at boy from the too-bright-to-look-at cabin.<p>

No one realizes how utterly lost he is.

He'd rather _not_ join in the conversations his siblings have that are laced with rumors gossip — he knows it's no good for his morale or reputation.

He'd rather _not _talk about who's "in" and who's "out" — he hates to talk about people, actual living things, like they are different fashions that can be tossed away without a second thought.

No, in fact, he'd rather curl up in his bunk and read a book about healing. After all, if he wants to be the best he's got to work the hardest.

But then again, he doesn't want people to think he has problems with talking to other people.

He is so confused. And it's no help that his spirit seems to have been buried under stereotype after stereotype about Apollo's children.

That is, until she comes along and leads it back to where it belongs — his soul.

* * *

><p><strong>ii. <strong>_You learn my secrets and you figure out why I'm guarded.  
><em>

* * *

><p>She never thinks she will ever tell anyone her secrets. She never thinks anyone will figure out why she seems so cold on the outside.<p>

She doesn't think anyone else will understand her.

So she avoids everyone, leading them to think she has depression issues or something like that. They giggle behind her back and call her names.

She doesn't bother to correct them. She can't have anyone learn about her past. She can't have anyone learn why she's guarded. After all, how humiliating would that be?

That changes when he comes around, though.

With him, it's not the same. Nothing is.

As they sit together every day, away from all the curious looks others give them, he learns everything about her. Even the little things that people never would have imagined.

Despite the way she dresses and how she looks, her favorite color is not at all black. It is blue. The same color of her eyes.

Just because she seems cold doesn't mean her favorite season is automatically winter. It is actually spring – the time where the flowers come out, the birds sing away, and all those other clichés.

Her mother is not a woman in her younger years – they think that Thalia _must_ have been the result of an unplanned pregnancy. But, of course, they are wrong. Her mother is a famous actress who pulls ridiculous stunts for attention.

When she breaks down and just lets it all out, somehow she can tell that unlike the rest of the people in the world, he'll never peep about what she says to another soul.

This alone is enough for her to love him as much as she does.

* * *

><p><strong>iii. <strong>_You take my hand and drag me head first._

* * *

><p>He was once all quiet and reserved. The shy type. No one ever gave him a second thought. After all, what's to know about a boy who is too quiet?<p>

Well, except for her.

And, through the years, he's learned so much from her.

First, she taught him how to forgive. When Annabeth crashes the chariot? It's okay. The world hasn't ended. The Hephaestus cabin can make a new one.

Second, she taught him how to find happiness in the littlest things. The sky is not just there for Zeus to rule. It is a majestic painting – the separation between their parents and them.

Most importantly, she taught him to not be afraid to fall. To take risks. And to be able to get back up and try again.

If only you could take a look at him now.

He is no longer Will Solace, Son of Apollo.

He is now Will Solace, Son of Apollo, Risk Taker, Master Healer. Not afraid to live life a little crazy. And for this, others now admire him.

All because he met her.

She took his hand and dragged him head first into a different way to lead his life.

And every single day he wonders what would happen if he never met her.

He imagines he wouldn't be alive right now.

* * *

><p><strong>iv. <strong>_Risk it all 'cause I'll catch you if you fall._

* * *

><p>That night after the campfire, all she can think about is the quest.<p>

She wants to have an adventure. She's been stuck her whole life at this camp, hidden from the world around her, hidden from the monsters that want her dead. She wants to know — she _needs_ to know — what life is like out there.

But, then again, she doesn't want to leave him.

Yet, she remembers what Will whispered in her ear after the quest was proclaimed.

_Have fun, Thalia. I'll try not to die while you're gone._

She smiles and knows that she can embark on the journey. Because no matter what, he will understand—he's the only one that does—and will be waiting for her to return.

So the next day, she walks to Chiron and signs her name on the clipboard he is holding.

She and two other campers set off on their quest that afternoon.

When she's at the bottom of the hill, ready to exit the camp's magical borders, she turns and sees Will at the top waving goodbye.

And she knows that she can risk it all, because he will always catch her if she falls.

* * *

><p><strong>v. <strong>_I'll sit on the front porch all night waist-deep in thought because when I think of you I don't feel so alone._

* * *

><p>Needless to say, he doesn't sleep that night.<p>

He sits on the front porch of the cabin, sick with worry.

_How is she?_

_Is she hurt?_

_Did a monster attack yet?_

_Is she having fun?_

He reassures himself that this is _Thalia Grace_ he's thinking about, not some naïve Aphrodite girl. He knows that she can protect herself. And so he tries to stop worrying about the negative things and tries to remember the positive things— something she taught him when they first met.

And even though the only one who understands him is gone, just thinking about her and the times they've had together makes him not feel so alone.

* * *

><p>No one would have ever guessed that the introverted girl and the healing boy would come to be.<p>

Yet, they know that they've never been happier in their lives.

And they know that no matter what happens, they'll always stand strong together.

* * *

><p>{<em>It <em>_**don't matter**__ what'll __come to be__. Our l o v e is __**all we need**__ to __make it through__._}

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

**i.** _Bring Me to Life; Evanescence_

**ii.** _Mine; Taylor Swift_

**iii.** _Fearless; Taylor Swift_

**iv.** _If My Heart Were a House; Owl City_

**v.** _Vanilla Twilight; Owl City_

**Ending. **_Not Alone; A Very Potter Musical_

This, I believe, is the first of its kind in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians fandom. Thalia Grace and Will Solace. I call them Thalill. :D

Also this is AU — Alternative Universe. Thalia never joined the Hunters. She was never turned into a tree.

The title has no meaning. I was merely feeling uncreative. ^u^

This is has not been checked over by a beta, so I'd love it if you point out any mistakes I have made.

Thank you for reading! Reviews are loved.

-Just Haven't Met You Yet


End file.
